While there is increasing evidence that there are selective declines in function in the general U.S. elderly populations there is a paucity of information on the longitudinal aspects of aging in Hispanics living in the U.S. The purposes of this study are first to conduct a multidimensional functional assessment of a panel of 152 non-institutionalized Hispanic older persons in Arlington County, Virginia and compare it to their assessments of 5 years ago. The OARS Multidimensional Functional Assessment Questionnaire (OMFAQ) (Spanish version) will be used to assess function in five areas: physical health, mental health, activities of daily living and socio-economic resources and utilization of health and social services. The second purpose is to collect qualitative data on the concept of health and aging of this population. A ten item open-ended interview schedule will be used to collect the data. The study will provide a comprehensive analysis of the long term function and health concept of these Hispanic older adults. Nursing implications for practice, education and research will be derived from the findings.